Chairperson, the ACDP rises in this budget vote fully cognisant of the severe financial constraints facing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). This is nothing new. We have lamented this for many, many years, yet our voices and those of the Defence Force, the generals that are here, have largely fallen on deaf ears. And, yes, we need to address irregular expenditure, but the SANDF’s operational condition is now critical.
The Navy operates one of four frigates (and yes, it was excellent to see SAS Amatola travelling internationally) and only one of three submarines. The Air Force keeps a handful of Gripon fighters and Oryx helicopters, and most of the C130 transport aircraft are grounded. The army’s infantry combat vehicles and trucks (of which many are over 30 years old) have poor operational rates.
Yet, in the midst of this picture, the SANDF is expected to fulfil its constitutional mandate to protect the sovereignty of the country: be deployed on peace missions and more recently, assist in flood ravaged areas, assist the police in fighting crime, gangsterism and illegal mining, and to patrol porous borders. This they do despite severe financial constraints.
We, as the ACDP, salute the men in uniform but at the end of the day, we as Parliament continue to wring our hands when we have the power to amend the budget.
It is shameful that men and women in uniform are expected to offer the supreme sacrifice when we are not providing sufficient budgets. Their response when called upon by the Commander-in-Chief is “Ours is not to question why. Ours is just to do or die.”
Yet, there is a glimmer of hope and, Honourable Minister, the ACDP welcomes the long-awaited Cabinet approval of the Journey to Greatness—this long-term planning strategy to modernise, rebuild and reform the Defence Force.
In our view, a professional, well-resourced and combat-ready Defence Force is not a like-to-have, it is essential. It is critical for the success of the strategy that sufficient funding is made available. The challenge is that this is a 30-year strategy and it can’t be like the 2015 Defence Review that was drafted but then just gathered dust. We cannot fail our Defence Force members in this regard and urgent additional funding is necessary.
Lastly, I would like to thank all members and support staff of the Defence Force on behalf of the ACDP. Those, who under extremely difficult conditions, are expected to make the supreme sacrifice in battle. We cannot fail our men and women in uniform. Let us ensure that they are sufficiently resourced and that those resources are properly spent.
Thank you.
